New legislation establishes the same inspection processes for food imports and exports and domestically produced foodstuffs.

From a press release issued by the American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA):

Exporters in Latin America and the Caribbean who market their products in Canada will probably have to improve their agricultural health and food safety (AHFS) controls if Canada approves a proposal aimed at modernizing its regulations.

Videoconferencing on Friday March 7, 2014 on the "Proposed FDA regulations on the deliberate adulteration of food and on sanitary transportation".

In order to facilitate awareness in government officials, the Guatemalan private sector and technical staff at the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), about the promulgation of the new FDA regulations, the IICAA together with the Agricultural Sector at AGEXPORT will hold on Friday 7 March 2014, a video conference entitled "Proposed FDA regulations on the deliberate adulteration of food and sanitary transportation.

Only 5,600 hectares are cultivated using outdated technologies out of 400,000 which are suitable for the development of coconut palm.

The information was released by the National Centre for Agricultural and Forestry Technology (CENTA). "... Despite the fact that El Salvador is a country with great potential for coconut production, there is low productivity because materials are not improved or selected, there are old palms that are not productive as well as diseases and pests," noted an article in Elmundo.com.sv.

Agricultural insurance coverage in the Americas maintained positive growth in those countries that have launched a public-private model and where agriculture represents a fundamental part of the economy.

From the study "Agricultural insurance in the Americas: a tool for risk management", prepared by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Latin American Association for the Development of Agricultural Insurance (ALASA):

The Food and Drug Administration agency has released two proposed rules within and outside its territory.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the provisions of the Modernization of the Food Safety Act (FSMA), has launched two proposed standards for industries within and outside the country, focused on safety standards of agricultural and preventive controls in food for human consumption.

While some sectors are tracing their animals on a voluntary basis, the country does not have a law which allows the government to manage a national livestock traceability system.

"A traceability system is very important for a country, and adopting a system like this involves a series of changes ranging from the perspective of producers, to new technologies and investment techniques for all those involved", explained Alejandro Diaz, an international specialist in agricultural health.

There are already five investment projects seeking to take advantage of the benefits of a Fomilenio II project which has yet to materialize.

"Up to 31 December 2012, the Agency for Investment Promotion and Export of El Salvador (Proesa) has received five formal requests for projects seeking to be financed by the nonrefundable fund 'Investment Commitment ES', said the executive director of the institution, Giovanni Berti. "

More investment in agricultural research and extension, efficient use of natural resources and networking through partnerships.

The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Victor M. Villalobos, during the inauguration of the International Conference on Coffee Science, said "to stay competitive in the market, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the consequences of climate change are some of the major challenges of the coffee sector in Central America, to which innovation and alliances are an alternative way of developing. "

With an investment of $24 million the country has plans for reforestation and replanting at least 40 thousand acres of land in 2014.

From a press release from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in El Salvador:

As part of developing the presidential program "Rescue and Development of National Coffee Culture", the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Hugo Flores Hidalgo, accompanied by a representative from the American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in El Salvador, Gerardo Escudero, and Executive Director of the Salvadoran Coffee Council, Ana Elena Escalante, participated in the delivery of coffee seedlings to farmers in the area of San Pedro Nonualco, Department of La Paz.

In the last ten years 71,000 hectares less were planted, and in only the last five years, food imports increased by 25%.

The food growing area in Panama has decreased by 70,687 hectares in the last 10 years and in the last five, food imports have risen by 25%, emphasizing the failure to meet the domestic demand for rice, corn, beans and other grains, according to a report by the Interamerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

The Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: A perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean 2011-2012.

ECLAC, FAO and IICA press release:

San Jose, Costa Rica, October 21 (ECLAC/FAO/IICA). Despite the current context of volatility and high food prices, in the long term, the agricultural sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will be able to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by having available land - albeit concentrated in a few countries- a relative abundance of water, biodiversity and well-educated human resources.

The Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: A perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean 2011-2012.

ECLAC, FAO and IICA press release:

San Jose, Costa Rica, October 21 (ECLAC/FAO/IICA). Despite the current context of volatility and high food prices, in the long term, the agricultural sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will be able to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by having available land - albeit concentrated in a few countries- a relative abundance of water, biodiversity and well-educated human resources.

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